A long forgotten mystical tradition is being rediscovered today — the ancient spiritual practice of walking the labyrinth as a mode of meditative prayer and engaging mystery. The sacred geometry of the winding path is a metaphor of our personal spiritual journey and the architecture of the soul.
The labyrinth has a long and complex history, spanning diverse cultural and religious beliefs and practices. Labyrinth designs have been found in archaeological excavations as well as on pottery and tiles, many of which date back as far as five millennia. Patterns are often based on spirals that occur in nature. A feature that labyrinths have in common is that they have one path that winds in a circuitous way to the centre (and back out again). Unlike the maze, labyrinths are designed so that you cannot lose your way. There are no dead ends or false turns. Labyrinths are for finding ourselves, not for being lost.
In recent years, there has been a sure of interest in labyrinth work. Labyrinths are often created as spiritual tools, or as a means of engaging a community group, and as art installations, both temporary and permanent.
In this full day workshop, participants will work together to design, measure, and create a labyrinth. Then, with the guidance of workshop leader Drew Strickland, we will walk the labyrinth and celebrate Wintergreen’s 10th year. And — symbolically, at least — we will plan and seed the next 10 years for Wintergreen.
This workshop is for you if you’re curious about learning how to create a labyrinth — perhaps in your own backyard. The workshop is also for. you if you’ve always wanted to know more about the history of the form and the teachings that it offers. Join us. Create. Learn. Walk the labyrinth. Seed your intentions.
About the instructor
DREW STRICKLAND, labyrinth facilitator and maker since 2000, has built several labyrinths in classic and innovative styles in Western and Eastern Canada, has been a consultant for numerous institutional installations, a facilitator for workshops, graduate seminars, retreats, therapeutic walks, dance sessions integrating various musical genres and soundscapes, and has conducted weddings and worship services on the labyrinth exploring the richness of its sacred geometry. In 2007 his labyrinth work was featured on CBC and Global TV.